Do you use sidemount?

[Sludge]

Now or total? I have nearly fifty sidemount dives (out of over 1,000), but none in over five years.

[Marc Bryan]

Now.

[Sludge]

Then my answer isn't one of the choices.

[Kevin Carlisle]

90% unless I'm doing a simple OW dive. I would never wear doubles on my back again.

[sskasser]

Forrest or another Mod, can you add a zero option? I was certain I picked 6 questions, and had a zero, but obviously my mad cow is flaring up. Can you also change the title to do you use sidemount?

CCR sidemount counts. I am trying to determine what overall percentage of divers use some form of sidemount, and how frequently. I don't care why.

I added a zero option.

[FW]

Forrest or another Mod, can you add a zero option? I was certain I picked 6 questions, and had a zero, but obviously my mad cow is flaring up. Can you also change the title to do you use sidemount?

CCR sidemount counts. I am trying to determine what overall percentage of divers use some form of sidemount, and how frequently. I don't care why.

I fixed the title, SSKasser added the zero option.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

90% unless I'm doing a simple OW dive. I would never wear doubles on my back again.

Its true, Ive seen kev with doubles on his front, side, and even on his head; but never his back anymore!

[Kevin Carlisle]

Its true, Ive seen kev with doubles on his front, side, and even on his head; but never his back anymore!

Shhhh, don't tell everything.

[RN]

sidemount unless I'm teaching or being taught in which case I'm in doubles

Why when you're being taught?

[DA Aquamaster]

I've experienced the same issue. If the instructor is not a sidemount instructor, some agencies won't let the student take a particular class (normoxic trimix, etc) in sidemount. Basically the idea is that the instructor must be qualified to teach whatever configuration the student is diving.

I can understand to a degree. For example, for atrimix class the students needs to know how to carry a stage, deco bottle, etc in that configuration and if the instrcutor does not know how to do it, and can't tell whether what the student is doing is workable or safe, it could be a problem.

On the other hand, an agency (that shall remain nameless) only requires a back mount instructor to make a couple dives with an instructor trainer to be signed off as a sidemount instructor. Consequently, the odds are still good that a recently converted "sidemount instructor" who has limited experience in the configuration and does not dive it often if at all outside of class, will still know a lot less than his or her student who dives the configuration on a regular basis.